By way of chance
by PrincessLorele
Summary: Is it just a fluke or is it fate? Can the shattered dreams of Seifer and Quistis actually help them help each other? (Seiftis!) Please read and review! -Chapter 3 up!-
1. Shattered

Hello there! I decided to start a new fic! You might know me from Drama of life, love, and the like…and if you don't, then you should check it out.  
  
Anyways…this is gonna be my first Seiftis or Quifer or whatever you wanna call it. So please read and review!!  
  
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"Gimme 'nother…" slurred one very drunken individual.  
  
"Don't you think you've had enough for one night?" asked the bartender in a very sleazy bar. "Can you even pay for all you've had tonight? Or are you gonna have to work that off too?"  
  
The drunk looked as though he was about to fall right out of his stool. Perhaps it was the dingy, smoky air that made the bar just seem…pathetic. Or perhaps it was who had been occupying it every night for the past month. Once renowned world-wide as a powerful, and feared individual. Now a shell of what was. A true 'has-been.'  
  
The bartender cleared his throat, which was loud enough to shake the drunk from his fragmented thoughts. "Well?" he asked, getting rather annoyed at this routine.  
  
"I's got the money…" he said, if you could even call it that, as he pulled out his wallet. He emptied the contents on the counter and no matter how hard he tried, couldn't remember how to count it. The bartender sighed and took the money the drunk owed him.  
  
"I'm closing now. You've gotta leave. Ya know, maybe if you didn't spend all of your time in here, you might actually be able to accomplish something."  
  
The man didn't respond, but instead he stood up and stumbled out the door. The cool air that blew against his face was refreshing. Yet not so much as to sober him up even the slightest bit. He was so drunk it was a wonder he could still stand.  
  
He somehow, even though he tripped and staggered the whole way, made it to his 'motel.' The cheapest place in all of Deling City. Shaking severely, he got out his room key and after a few failed attempts, managed to get it in the hole and opened the door. He slammed it as he walked in.  
  
Before he could even make it over to the bed, he passed out. The floor might not have seemed the best place to fall asleep, but it was probably the best sleep he'd gotten in weeks.  
  
Seifer Almasy's life was, needless to say, pathetic. His dreams…shattered. His dignity…lost forever. His whole world…gone in the blink of an eye.  
  
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'Being able to relax once in a while is great. Even if it means sitting in this cafeteria all day, sipping what they claim is coffee…' thought Quistis as she took another sip.  
  
'It's already been a year since the sorceress ordeal ended. Things have gradually gotten back to normal…  
  
Squall is the new headmaster at Balamb Garden, which didn't surprise anyone. Rinoa, who is now living at Garden, is with Squall 24/7, if not more. They're a couple…which is probably an understatement.   
  
Irvine has finally calmed down and settled on one girl, Selphie. They have always perfect for each other. Selphie is still the main planner for the Garden Festival, too.   
  
Zell hasn't really changed at all, except for the fact that he finally got together with the library girl. He might've matured a little bit, but there's no guarantees on that.  
  
And then there's me. What can I say? I haven't really done much with my life. Yeah, I go on a mission here and there, but what do I have to show for it? Trepies?' She sighed and stood up. Walking back towards her room she saw Selphie and half smiled. These days, it seemed like the real Quistis was just drifting farther and farther away.   
  
She reached her dorm and went inside. Everything was exactly how she'd left it-perfect. She was a neat-freak, to say the least. She had one of the largest rooms in Garden, too. And yet, her friends, her room, her looks, her skills-none of them made her happy.  
  
She sat down on her bed and thought…'My dreams of being an instructor…shattered. My hopes of being with Squall…lost forever. My whole world…gone in the blink of an eye. I'm pathetic…no wonder no one loves me.' She put her head on one of the pillows and drifted off to sleep…having no idea what would await her when she awakened.  
  
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Seifer came around to the sound of yelling and banging at his door. He tried to remember the events of the previous night, but it was all a blur. Not only that, but his head was pounding, and the extreme amounts of noise weren't helping any.  
  
He got off the floor and opened the door. The motel owner looked at Seifer and shook his head.  
  
"What did I tell you about getting so drunk? Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that your month is up. You know how I am about having people 'living' here. I'm sorry, buddy, but you gotta leave."  
  
Seifer looked at him rather blankly for a moment, then nodded. He walked back inside his room and picked up some clean clothes. 'Maybe a cold shower will clear my head…' he thought as he walked into the bathroom.  
  
He turned the water on and jumped a little when it first hit him. He got used to it and found it quite invigorating. Soon enough, he was almost coherent. He got out of the shower and got dressed.  
  
"Man, now where am I gonna go?" he mumbled to himself. "I'm pretty much out of money and there aren't many good jobs here. I suppose I could go to Timber…Raijin and Fujin will probably let me crash with them for a while. And besides, I haven't seen them in a long time."  
  
Seifer packed up all of his belongings and left the sleazy motel. He finally made his way to the train station and got on the first train to Timber. He got on the train and as soon as he sat down, he was asleep.  
  
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Quistis woke up sweating profusely. 'It was just a bad dream…it wasn't real.' she told herself, as she tried to calm down. She got out of bed and took a shower. She got dressed and then made her bed. It was a routine she had perfected in the many years she had spent there.  
  
On her way to the cafeteria, Squall called over the intercom- 'Quistis Trepe, please report to my office. I repeat. Quistis, please report to my office. That is all.'  
  
'Geez, I wonder what he wants this early in the morning…' she thought to herself as she headed towards the elevator. She pushed the button when she got on and was almost instantly there. She knocked on the door of Squall's office and heard him shout "Come in, Quistis!"  
  
She pushed the doors open and walked in. She saluted him, something she would probably never get used to doing. "What did you need to see me for?"  
  
"Well…" he began, walking out from behind his desk, "Timber is having problems again."  
  
"Political?" she asked, wondering why he was telling her and not Rinoa.  
  
"No, this time it's monsters. There have been a lot more monsters showing up. Not only that, but they're a lot stronger than normal." stated Squall.  
  
"And so you want me to go do what?"  
  
"Find out what's causing these problems."  
  
"Alright, sounds simple enough. So who am I going with?" she asked, deciding to just agree to do the mission and get it over with.  
  
"See…that's the thing. You're not going with anyone. Yes, the monsters are stronger, but not that much stronger. You can handle them by yourself. And besides you look like you could use a vacation, so when you're done with the mission, why not take some time off?"  
  
"So you want me to go to Timber, find out what's making the increase in monsters and their strength, deal with it and then just relax for a while?" Quistis was sort of mad about this whole thing. 'He expects me to just be alright by myself? If anything, I need to be with someone else, not by myself!'  
  
"Yes. Do you think you can handle it?"  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"Good, you leave now. Here's your train ticket to Timber. There's a car waiting for you in the parking lot. Oh, and money for supplies and such. Here's 10,000 gil. Good luck." He handed her the ticket and the money. She sort of sighed and he just waved as she left.  
  
'I can't believe that was on such short notice. How could he do that? Oh well, whatever. It's too late now. Guess I'll just have fun in Timber.' She went down on the elevator and walked over to the parking lot.  
  
A red car was already waiting for her. The driver stood by her door and opened it for her. She got in and closed it. The driver got back in and asked, "Ready to go?"  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be…" she mumbled mainly to herself.  
  
Before she knew it they were in Balamb. She got out of the car and thanked the driver. She stopped at a restaurant to eat some breakfast before she boarded her train. After she was done, she got on and went to the SeeD car. She decided to stretch out on the couch and try to sleep on the way there.  
  
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Yes, I know nothing has actually happened yet. I had to set it up you know. I guarantee that stuff will happen next time, so please review!! 


	2. Confused

Hello again! I've decided to really stick with it and update as often as possible. So please read and review!!  
  
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Seifer woke up to the sound of the train pulling into the Timber station. The train stopped and Seifer grabbed his bag and got off.  
  
'Now where on earth do Raijin and Fujin live? Maybe I should ask around…' he thought to himself as he walked away from the train platform.  
  
The first person he saw was an old lady, you know-the one that sold "maps", so he asked her.  
  
"Raijin and Fujin? Of course I know them, silly. It's a small town, everyone knows everyone else. They live over there," she pointed, "right past the weapon shop."  
  
"Thank you so much," he said, half-smiling. 'Perhaps things will finally start to go my way…'  
  
He made his way over to the weapon shop, and sure enough, there was their house. Raijin was outside playing with a baby and Fujin was sitting on the steps. Seifer walked over and they both stopped what they were doing.  
  
"Hey Seifer! Long time no see, ya know?" shouted a very enthusiastic Raijin.  
  
Fujin simply said, "SEIFER."  
  
"Wow. You two haven't changed much. Who's the kid?" he asked in reference to the baby Raijin was holding.  
  
"Um…well you see…he's ours. Fujin got pregnant shortly after we got married. And so this is our pride and joy, ya know?"  
  
Fujin walked up to Seifer and put her hand on his forehead. "ILL?" she questioned.  
  
"No, why do you ask?"  
  
"PALE."  
  
"Well, I really haven't been sleeping right…it's more like passing out though."  
  
"DRUNK?"  
  
"Yep. I really should stop, but it's just…pointless," said Seifer, looking at the ground.  
  
"STAY," Fujin commanded.  
  
"Yeah, you should stay here for a while. We'll help you get back on your feet. You look terrible, you know?"  
  
"Are you guys sure it's alright? I mean I could just stay in the hotel or something."  
  
"INSIST," said Fujin crossing her arms. She turned and looked at Raijin.  
  
"Looks like Fujin's not gonna budge on this one."  
  
"Alright, I'll stay," said Seifer. Even though it was the real reason he came, he was glad that they suggested it first.  
  
"Let's go inside. Fujin, will you go fix the guest room please?"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE," she said walking inside.  
  
"I don't know what I'd do without you guys."  
  
"Well what are friends for, ya know?" said Raijin as they walked inside the house.  
  
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Quistis was awakened by people screaming. She sat up and looked out into the hallway. People were panicking and she didn't have a clue why. She went up to one of the frightened passengers and asked her.  
  
"There's some kind of monster in front of the train! We can't get past it and so we're trapped!! We're all going to die!!!" the woman screamed.  
  
'Oh, geez. This must be what Squall was talking about.' Quistis sighed. She then walked to one of the doors and got out. 'Good thing I had my GF's with me, otherwise I'd be in trouble.'  
  
She walked to the front of the train and almost laughed at what she saw. 'They're scared to death of a Ruby Dragon? That's it? Ha!' she got out her Save the Queen and made sure she had her GF's junctioned.  
  
"Let's go," she called out to the Ruby Dragon. She started out by casting sleep on it. The dragon fell asleep and then Quistis cast triple on herself. She then started lashing out at the dragon with three blizzaga every round. He died very quickly this way. Quistis smiled and walked back towards the train.  
  
The people inside were cheering for her when she got on the train. A little boy came up to her and asked, "How did you do that, lady?"  
  
She squatted down and told him, "I had to go through a lot of training. I'm a SeeD."  
  
He smiled and shouted, "I wanna be a SeeD, too!" Quistis smiled and sat down as the train continued on it's way to Timber.  
  
The train pulled into the station and stopped. The people got off one by one. Quistis was last. She was in no real hurry.  
  
'I should probably go check into the hotel first. Then go ask around to see if anyone knows anything about these monsters.'  
  
Quistis walked into the hotel and realized how long it had been since she'd been in Timber. She walked up to the desk and told the clerk, "Hi. I'm Quistis Trepe. The SeeD sent to deal with the monster problems." The clerk looked at her strangely.  
  
"We didn't send for a SeeD, and what monster problem are you talking about?"  
  
"That's impossible. I saw one of the monsters just outside of town. You normally don't have Ruby Dragons around here! Headmaster Squall sent me from Balamb Garden…can you check again?"  
  
The clerk looked for anything even mentioning SeeD, but to no avail. "I'm sorry, miss, there's nothing. Perhaps someone forgot to book it."  
  
"That might be it. Well in that case, then I'd like to get a room. Is there anyway I can still get one of the SeeD rooms?"  
  
"Sure thing. It'll be 250 gil a night. You're room 22. Here's your key," she smiled as she handed her the key. "Enjoy your stay."  
  
Quistis went upstairs to her room and opened the door. She shut it as she walked in and looked around. The room was a light shade of blue. There was one bed against the far wall. There was a small table with a laptop on it.  
  
"I should probably see if I can contact Squall," she said to herself. She opened the laptop and found that it was already turned on. "That's strange. Why would it be on?" She looked at the screen and gasped. There was an e-mail from someone.  
  
She read it out loud,  
  
"Dear Quistis Trepe, it appears as though you've fallen for our little trap. You think you're on a mission to investigate monsters, right? Well, think again. Don't worry, we won't hurt you…yet. So far, everything is going according to plan. You can figure out who this is if you really try. Well, good luck on your 'mission.'"  
  
Quistis was rather frightened by this. "How did they know my name? And what room I'd be in? And my mission? This is creepy. I'd better try calling Squall."  
  
She went over and picked up the phone. Upon dialing his office number, she got even more alarmed. All she heard was "The number you have tried to reach is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later." She hung up the phone.  
  
"What a way to relax…maybe I should just get plastered tonight…that might help…" she said to herself as she walked out of her hotel room.  
  
It was just beginning to get dark and the sky was a purplish colour. Quistis sighed. 'I'm so confused…what on earth is going on?' She made her way to the bar and opened the door. The grimy air made the whole bar seem absolutely filthy. Quistis went up to the counter and sat down on one of the stools.  
  
The bartender walked over and said, "What'll you have?"  
  
Quistis sighed and said, "The hardest thing you got." He walked away to get her drink and she thought, 'I know I shouldn't be drinking, but maybe it'll take away some of my pain. Even if it's just for a little while.'  
  
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"Hey Raijin?" called Seifer as he was heading out the door.  
  
"What is it? You're not going out drinking, are you?"  
  
"Just tonight, I promise."  
  
"Alright, just try to be coherent enough to get back here, ya know?"  
  
"Sure thing, thanks a ton, buddy."  
  
Raijin stood in the hallway and watched Seifer leave. When he turned around, Fujin kicked him in the shin.  
  
"WHY?" she demanded.  
  
"Ouch! The guy's had a tough life. Let him have just one more night to be completely pain free, ya know?"  
  
Seifer stood outside the bar for a moment, considering whether or not he really wanted to get plastered and black out again. 'Just a little tonight…' he thought, 'I can be strong.' He walked into the bar and over towards the counter. He sat at the first empty stool he saw. The bartender walked over with a drink and handed it to the red headed lady next to him. She replied with a very quiet, somewhat slurred, "Thank you…"  
  
Seifer turned towards her to get a better look. "Quistis?" She turned towards him and almost fell off the stool.  
  
"Seifer! I haven't seen you in forever!" she shouted, practically throwing herself at him. "Where have you been?"  
  
Seifer who was quite confused by this, tried to sit her back in her stool, but she ended up somehow on his lap.  
  
"Quistis, you're really drunk. Are you feeling alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned.  
  
"Huh? Of course I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?" she said, giggling.  
  
'I have a bad feeling that this won't end well. I've never seen her act like this. I wonder if this is how I act when I'm drunk…' he thought as he tried to get her to stand.  
  
She sort of stood on her own, but couldn't seem to keep her legs under herself. He tried as hard as he could to support her.  
  
"Okay, Quistis, we need to get you back to your hotel. Now did you pay the nice man already?" She shook her head 'no' and got a wad of money out of her purse. Seifer sighed and paid the bartender what she owed him.  
  
Even though Quistis seemed to be more rational when the cold air hit her face, she still wasn't really walking. Seifer got fed up with it and picked her up. For one reason or another, she fell asleep in his arms. 'Oh, this is lovely, now I don't even know which room is hers when I get to the hotel. Unless I find her key…'  
  
He set her gently down on a nearby bench and looked through her purse for the room key. He found it, room 22. 'Ooh, goody. Stairs,' he thought. He picked her up, still holding the key in one hand, and carried her to the hotel.  
  
The desk clerk barely looked up at them when they walked past. Seifer managed to carry Quistis up the stairs and down the hall to her room. "Geez, gained some weight lately? You're heavy," Seifer mumbled as he opened the door. He walked in and laid her on the bed.  
  
"SeeDs get all the privileges, don't they? I suppose I should at least wait until she wakes up," said Seifer to himself.  
  
He walked across the room and sat in one of the chairs by the small table. There was a phone next to him and so he decided to call Raijin and let him know that he wasn't passed out in an alley. He picked up and dialed the number. It rang several times, but no answer.  
  
'Oh well, guess they're sleeping or something,' he thought. 'Maybe I'll just shut my eyes for a minute…I'm kinda tired.' Seifer put his head down on the table, and fell asleep.  
  
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Quistis woke up with a killer headache. 'Huh? Where am I? How did I get back in my hotel room?' She got out of bed and stretched. She got out some other clothes to change into, which Garden had shipped for her, and went into the bathroom to shower.  
  
She relaxed under the warm water and let it clear her thoughts. After getting dressed, she walked back into her room. By that time, Seifer had started to wake up.  
  
Quistis almost screamed when she realized he was there.  
  
"Seifer?! What are you doing in my room??! How did you get here?" she yelled. Obviously panicking.  
  
"Well last night you were really drunk, and just begged me to take advantage of you, and you're just so sexy that I couldn't say no."  
  
She started at him in disbelief.  
  
"Hey hey hey. I was just kidding. You were really drunk last night and you passed out. I carried you here and found your room key. Then I decided to stay and make sure you were okay and fell asleep at the table. Is that alright with you, Ms. Overreaction?"  
  
She looked at him for a moment, then remembered the events of the previous night. "Hehe, I'm sorry. I guess this killer headache is making me a little edgy."  
  
"I'll say," he muttered under his breath, which she thankfully didn't hear.  
  
"So what're you doing in Timber?" she asked, sitting down in the other chair.  
  
"I needed a place to stay, so I came to see Raijin and Fujin. And what about you? Mission I assume." He crossed his arms.  
  
"Yeah. Apparently there have been stronger monsters, and a lot more monsters in general, around here. I'm supposed to find out why."  
  
"All by yourself?" She nodded. "Oh, poor Quisty! All alone!" he teased.  
  
"Shut up. I can handle being by myself."  
  
"Well obviously something's bothering you if YOU got that drunk last night."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said crossing her arms.  
  
"Fine, I was willing to listen to you, but if you're gonna be that way about it."  
  
"Why would you care what was bothering me?"  
  
"Because you're my dear Instructor Trepe, of course. You mean the world to me."  
  
She just rolled her eyes. "Still full of yourself, I see."  
  
"Only with you," he grinned.  
  
She sighed and looked at the laptop. She then turned it around and opened it. There was another e-mail from what looked like the same person.  
  
"Hey Seifer, tell me what you think of this," she said, motioning for him to come over and see.  
  
She showed him the first one and then he read the second one out loud,  
  
"Well Quistis, it appears as though you have fallen into yet another trap. If you know what's good for you, you'll forget your 'mission' and just go home. And Seifer. Were you planning on helping Quistis with her 'mission'? If you were, I don't think it's such a good idea. Someone might get hurt. Don't say I didn't warn you."  
  
Quistis was really scared. "What do you think it means?"  
  
"I'm really not sure. But it's obviously been planned. How could anyone know I was here?"  
  
"I don't have any idea."  
  
"Well then, that settles it. I'm going to figure this out."  
  
"But it's my mission!"  
  
"I'm sure this is a mission that's not meant for beginners, dear."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?! At least I made it as a SeeD. YOU couldn't even get in. And look what happened. What are you now?"  
  
The fire in Seifer's eyes died down. He almost looked…sad. "Well at least, until the very end, I succeeded at what I wanted to be. Unlike you…you've always failed. You failed as my teacher, you failed trying to win Squall's heart, and you'll fail at this too. Face it, you're as worthless as I am."  
  
Quistis, despite the fact that his words stung her, stood up and slapped him. "So what if I am? That sure as hell doesn't give you the right to tell me! So what if I can't ever do…anything right? So what if…I'm just a horrible, lonely, worthless person? Why can't you just let me…live my wretched life in peace?" a tear ran down her face and she looked away.  
  
"Hey, don't cry."  
  
"You can't tell me what to do! Dammit, I'll cry if I want to!!" And she did. Quistis Trepe, the Ice Queen was bawling her eyes out. And again Seifer was shocked at this side of her that he had never seen.  
  
She sat down on the bed and buried her face in her hands. He sat next to her and gently said, "Quistis…"  
  
"Just leave me alone," she snapped and turned away.  
  
"I didn't mean to make you cry. Look at me," he said as he tried to turn her around. "Just look at me, dammit." She turned around and looked at him through the tears that wouldn't stop coming.  
  
"What? What could you possibly say to make me the least bit better?"  
  
"There's nothing I can say to make you better, but I know something that will probably make you at least relax a little."  
  
She looked at him for a minute then he pulled her closer and just held her. Slowly, her tears stopped coming and she relaxed. 'Why does this feel so…normal?' she thought. After she was completely done crying she broke his embrace and whispered, "Thank you."  
  
"I guess I should be going now. I suppose I'll see you around. Unless you finish your mission early," he said as he started walking towards the door.  
  
"Wait," she called out to him. He stopped and turned around. "I'd really like it if you'd help me on my mission. It's nice to have someone to talk to."  
  
"I knew you couldn't resist my charms!" he said, smirking. She threw a pillow at him.  
  
"You jerk!" she yelled.  
  
He opened the door, and yelled, "I'll call you!" Then he turned around and blew a kiss at her. She threw another pillow, but he closed the door just in time.  
  
'Why does he have to be like that? Sweet one minute, a jerk the next? It's so annoying!' Quistis flopped face down onto the bed and just screamed. 'And lucky me gets to spend even MORE time with him…me and my big mouth.'  
  
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Well…I think this is a new record! Not only the longest chapter I've written, but the fastest I've ever updated! Yay me! If only I could keep up with my updating, I'd be good.  
  
Please review!! 


	3. Relaxed

Hello! All the wonderful reviews I've been getting has pushed me to continue updating as soon as I can. I was hoping to update sooner, but I've been busy with work. Thanks for reviewing! Let the reading commence!  
  
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Quistis woke up and looked at her watch. 'Oh my god! It's already 3:00. I was hoping to investigate this morning.' she thought. She stretched and decided that she felt like fighting. She walked out of her hotel and through the streets of Timber. She was just about to walk out the main entrance, when a chill ran down her spine. She stopped.  
  
"Now, now, Instructor. You weren't going to leave me, were you?" said Seifer, as he approached her, a slight grin on his face.  
  
"Seifer…" she mumbled. "What do you want?" she asked, rather annoyed. 'I just saw him a few hours ago…why do I have to see him again?' she thought.  
  
"I missed you, Quisty, and when I saw you walking past my house, I had the horrible notion that you were leaving me! Tell me it isn't so!"  
  
"Oh knock it off. I just felt like fighting, so I was going to find some monsters. You know, you really should try and get rid of this obsession you seem to have with me," she remarked. He put his hand up to his cheek, as though he had been slapped.  
  
"Ouch. That hurt. And I'm not obsessed, I'm in love," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Her face turned bright red and she slapped him. "Wow, someone's blushing!" he chuckled.  
  
"Shut up! And don't you ever do that again!" she said as she walked away from him. Unfortunately for her, he caught up quickly due to his long legs.  
  
"I'll behave, Quisty, I just wanna help you."  
  
"Seifer, why the hell do you keep calling me 'Quisty'?" she somewhat yelled at him.  
  
"Because it's a nickname that I think suits you."  
  
"Why does it suit me?" she asked, slightly intrigued.  
  
"Because you're childish," he said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.  
  
"I am not!" she yelled.  
  
"See? That right there was childish. Yelling at me because I told you the truth? Tsk, tsk. I'm disappointed in you." She just glared at him and turned away. Another grin crossed his face.  
  
They walked in silence from that point on. The wind was rather calm that afternoon, and made the heat tolerable. Neither of them were sure where they were going, but they just kept walking. There were monsters, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Finally, Quistis spoke.  
  
"This is very strange," Quistis practically whispered.  
  
"What is?" asked Seifer.  
  
"The fact that all these super strong monsters are supposed to be here, and yet…there's nothing. No one has a clue what I'm talking about. There isn't anything unusual aside from those two e-mails."  
  
"Did you ever get in touch with Squall?"  
  
She thought for a moment. "Ya know, I didn't. I'll try when I get back tonight."  
  
They became silent again. The monsters were still the same, and there was nothing unusual. Night came and Quistis decided to give up. They started back towards Timber.  
  
"I don't know what's going on here, but it's obviously not with these monsters," said Quistis, tired from walking so much.  
  
"I haven't a clue. Maybe you got another e-mail…or maybe Puberty Boy knows something…"  
  
"Maybe…" she said, thinking out loud. "Hey, was Raijin mad at you for not coming home last night?"  
  
Seifer laughed. "You should've seen him. He kinda forgot where I went. So all night, he was out looking for me. So when I got back, Fujin was yelling at him for being out so late. Raijin tried to yell at me, but Fujin stopped him and said that he should've known where I was. Even she had more of a clue than him. But apparently they didn't care that I was gone so long," he smiled.  
  
"I'm glad you have friends like that. I can tell how much they mean to you."  
  
"Don't know what I would've done without my posse. Sometimes I miss the power, and closeness, we had at Garden." Quistis thought, that for a split second, she sensed a bit of remorse in his voice.  
  
They got back to the hotel in Timber. Quistis started towards the door, when she decided to do something she might later regret.  
  
"Do you wanna come up for a little bit?" she asked, "You look kinda down."  
  
"Nah, I shouldn't."  
  
"I insist," she said, grabbing his arm and literally dragging him inside.  
  
"But what will I tell Raijin and Fujin?"  
  
"That you'll be home later. I'm not kidnapping you, I'm just trying to be nice."  
  
"Well, your being nice sure hurts like hell. Do you have to grip my arm so damn hard?"  
  
"Why yes, yes I do," said Quistis, smirking immensely.  
  
They got up to her room and she finally let go. He rubbed the now red mark she had made.  
  
"Geez, can't you be a little more feminine?"  
  
"Why? You're already in love with me, who am I trying to impress?"  
  
"Well…um…shut up."  
  
Quistis smiled as she walked over to the phone. She picked it up and called Balamb Garden. The phone rang a few times and finally Squall picked up.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness it's you," said Squall. He sounded almost…scared.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Quistis.  
  
"Rinoa and Selphie were kidnapped."  
  
"What?! When?? How??"  
  
Squall sighed. "It happened right after you left. Zell saw them out in the quad around lunch time and that was the last time they've been seen since. A full search has been going on since."  
  
"Well that's not the only weird thing, I've gotten two--"  
  
"Three," said Seifer who had been checking Quistis' e-mail.  
  
"Seifer?" asked Squall. "What's he doing there?"  
  
"Seifer's helping me with this mission. He's staying in Timber with Raijin and Fujin."  
  
"You might wanna hear this, guys," said Seifer. He read the e-mail out loud,  
  
"Well well well. Seifer and Quistis. What did I tell you about your little 'mission'? Yes, that's right. That someone might get hurt. And yet, did you heed my warning? Nope. And so guess what? Guess who I have? Yes! That's right. Rinoa and Selphie. They're safe, for now. But who knows how long that will last. Maybe you still have time to save them."  
  
"What are we gonna do now?" asked Quistis. "I can't allow them to get hurt."  
  
"I had no idea this was so big," said Squall. "Maybe it was a bad idea to send you alone."  
  
"No. I can do it. I'll figure this out. Trust me."  
  
"And besides," said Seifer, "she's got me with her. What could go wrong?"  
  
"Okay, well keep me posted, alright?" said Squall. "I'll let you know if I find anything."  
  
"Alright, bye," said Quistis as she hung up the phone. "I don't understand what it is we're doing that's upsetting this person."  
  
"Me neither. Maybe it's because we're together," he said, grinning at her.  
  
"I doubt it. It could be that there's something hidden. Like in that lake or something. Maybe even right here in town."  
  
"All I know is that whatever it is, I'm gonna fix it so that my poor Quisty isn't scared anymore."  
  
"Oh, shut up," she said angrily as she threw the phone book at him.  
  
"Ow!" he yelled as he grabbed his head. "Hey, wait. What's that?" he asked. The phone book had fallen on the floor and opened to a page with a circled name and phone number.  
  
"This is getting creepy. Let's try calling in the morning."  
  
"Good thinking. We'll ask if their refrigerator is running," said Seifer sarcastically. Quistis just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Maybe it's just a coincidence, but maybe it's not either. It's worth a shot, don't you think?"  
  
"I suppose so."  
  
They both got quiet and before they knew it, had both drifted off to sleep.  
  
---------------  
  
Seifer woke up at about 1:30 and decided that he should at least call Raijin and let him know. The phone just kept ringing, and so he left a message.  
  
After he hung up the phone, he tried to wake up Quistis because she didn't look comfortable at all. Her face was like that of an angel's, though.  
  
"Huh…?" she said when he finally got her partially awake. "What time is it?" she asked him.  
  
"It's almost 2:00. I guess we both fell asleep."  
  
Quistis just yawned. Seifer put his hand on her forehead.  
  
"You're burning up. Do you feel alright?"  
  
"I dunno. I kinda feel like throwing up."  
  
"You're probably just really stressed out. Try and relax."  
  
"How can I relax? My two best friends were kidnapped!"  
  
"I know, but if you let yourself get sick, we won't be able to save them."  
  
A tear ran down her cheek. "I don't think I'll be able to save them either way. I'm too weak."  
  
"You are not weak! You helped save the world, you used to train SeeDs, you're one of the strongest women I know."  
  
"But I know I'm gonna fail again. I can't take another failure, I really can't."  
  
"Quistis…" he said, leaning closer to her, "I l--"  
  
All of a sudden, there was a loud crash outside. Both of them rushed to the window and gasped at what they saw.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Hoorah! Finally! Sorry about the long wait between updates. It's really hard to find time to write anymore. I promise to try harder if you promise to review!! 


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